Page 108 of A Court of Hearts and Hunger
From a table nearby, he picks up the crystal bottle the pink-haired faerie left for us. The strange, silvery water of the Unending Pool.
He unstoppers it. Hands it to me.
I swallow it slowly, pausing when its viscous texture becomes too much for my throat. Gulp after gulp, I consume it all.
I don’t feel any different. What if the water isn’t potent anymore? What if all this is for nothing? What if…
“I wish I could give you something for the pain, when it happens,” Riordan says. “But we can’t risk it interfering with the arcane waters.”
“I understand.”
“Come, kitten.”
I follow him barefoot through the house to the front entrance, which he holds open for me.
We don’t speak as we traverse the hallways, staircases, and passages of the palace—though my mind fills with questions and I gobble up the incredible sights as if they’re my last meal. Columns and arches, interminable rows of windows, fiery glowing floors, twisting staircases. So much to see in this place. So much to learn.
Riordan walks at my side, holding the end of a gold leash attached to a matching bracelet on my wrist. It’s my only adornment, besides the abundance of my golden hair. The collar I’ve worn since I arrived is gone now. I’m no longer a pet or a prisoner, but a sacrifice.
I’m oddly aware of the scents around me—a sickish sweetness wafting from one corridor, a raw metallic odor from a half-open doorway, a hit of spicy perfume from a group of courtiers who gape as we pass. The tiled floor is cold beneath the press of my bare feet.
Riordan holds another door for me. Air whispers over my exposed skin, and I hitch the sheet more closely around my body as we step outside.
The palace soars at our backs, towering over us. A courtyard lies ahead—an immense space thronged with Fae. The sheer number of them crashes against my mind, and I halt, overwhelmed by the chitter of mouthparts, the drone of vibrating wings, the scrape of tails on stone. Most of them are clutching handfuls of gaudily-wrapped candies in their beringed fingers. They’re grinning with their sparkling teeth, tossing their horns, swaying their bodies. I have never seen so many fine fabrics, so many jewels, so much beauty mingled with so much horror. Because they are horrifying—oh yes.
Riordan tugs lightly on my leash. He doesn’t touch me, but his stern look is tinged with sympathy.
I have no doubt he would still enjoy dissecting me. And I have no reason to think he wouldn’t have done it, eventually. His mercy was a temporary thing, because he wants my body, and because he likes my mind. I’m not sure he’s capable of truly loving me, if I could even let myself want such a thing.
But he’s familiar. His presence is my only assurance in this place. So I fix my gaze on him alone, and I follow him, while the crowd parts for us and the raucous din of the Court slowly dissipates into questioning whispers.
There are steps ahead. Steps of gray stone, leading up to a white throne.
A woman in a scarlet dress rises from the throne. A tiny hat, encrusted with starry diamonds and white feathers, nestles in her black hair. Scarlet jewels cascade from her throat to her waist, filling in the deep V neckline of her dress.
This is the beautiful woman Riordan has been forcing himself to fuck.
This is the Eater of Hearts.
“My Queen.” Riordan kneels on the steps, and I sink to my knees as well. “I crave your favor. Forgive my foolishness, and accept this tribute. My life is nothing without your love, my illustrious beauty. I pray you will delight in this precious gift—a human virgin, pure of body and untouched by any magic. Your glory deserves the sweetest offering.”
“Show her to me,” says the Queen.
Riordan rises, lifts me to my feet, and removes the white sheet from my body. He spreads it on the dais before the Queen’s throne, then motions to me. “Lie down, girl.”
I lie down on the sheet, arms at my sides. Despite my efforts to relax, my limbs are trembling uncontrollably.
The Queen kneels beside me with a coo of delight. “What a toothsome treasure, Beastie! I take it you’ve reconsidered your refusal to access the human realm for me? You’ve found a way?”
“Indeed, Majesty. This girl is but the first of many delicacies I hope to offer you.”
“And there are children?” The Queen looks up at Riordan, licking her crimson lips. “You can get children for me? I crave tiny hearts, Beastie. Snacklets, appetizers. I crave the earthy richness of human blood.”
“You shall have it.” Riordan bows. “Whatever I can give you, my love. Everything. I will go to the ends of the realms to bring you all you desire.”
The Queen leans toward him, setting the tips of five white claws to his naked chest, right over his heart. Blood drips down Riordan’s skin as she punctures it slowly. “And what if the heart I crave is yours?”
“I will yield it, unflinching.” His deep voice sends a tremor through my body.
